The Plastics and Rubber Industry in Sri Lanka (PRISL), the apex organization focused on the training and development of manpower needed to the emerging requirements of the plastics and rubber based industries in Sri Lanka, has successfully accomplished three significant events
PRISL achieved a significant milestone in its history of 55 years when it launched a training programme on the practical aspects of rubber processing technology, with the support of Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce.
The official inauguration of the programme was held at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) on January 17, 2014. Anura Siriwardena, Secretary MOIC; Asitha Seneviratne, Additional Secretary, (Developments) and Epa Dayaratne, Director, MOIC also participated in the inauguration ceremony along with Rangith Samarasinghe, President of PRI,and other office bearers.
Fifteen participants selected by careful screening and interviews to follow the course also participated in the ceremony.
MOIC provided 50% of the funds required to conduct the Course as a grant while the balance was provided by the participants or their respective employer companies. It was encouraging to note the participation of SME Sector entrepreneurs from as far as Ampara, and some University students who are doing research projects related to the rubber industry.
Anura Siriwardena in his address stressed the need for establishing Private/ Public Particaption ventures of this nature in moving towards the country’s development targets. Ranjith Samarasinghe, thanked the senior members of the PRI who had worked untiringly with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board and the MOIC over the past two years to make this programme reality.
The Course was initiated on January 18, 2014 at the PRI Auditorium with a simple opening ceremony attended by the Office Bearers and the members of the Education and Events and Seminars Committees of PRISL.
The course, which will be conducted on Saturdays over a period of five months, will include visits to leading rubber product manufacturing companies and Testing laboratories. A panel of lecturers well experienced and knowledgeable are selected to conduct the lecture sessions.
On January 23, PRISL conducted a half day seminar for the benefit of the supervisory and operator level personnel of the rubber product manufacturing industries. Forty participants attended the Seminar titled ‘Profitability of rubber product manufacturing in turbulent times’.
The topics were carefully selected to cover productivity, quality and energy management practices and a panel of experienced and knowledgeable resource personnel conducted the sessions whose main emphasis was on the practical aspects of cost savings which can be implemented at shop floor level. The panel discussion which followed generated a good amount of interaction and sharing of experiences among the participants
Based on the valuable inputs generated at the Seminar in January, PRISL ventured ambitiously to conduct a similar seminar on February 25 for the benefit of the plastics product manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka. The theme of the seminar was ‘Profitability of plastics product manufacturing in turbulent times’. This event was conducted as a joint seminar of PRISL and the Plastic Industry Association of Sri Lanka (PIASL) which is a relatively young organization, focusing mainly on policy issues specific to the plastics industry. The topics selected were on:
An unprecedented ninety eight personnel from supervisory and operator levels in the plastics product manufacturing participated in this highly successful seminar which brought forth into limelight the necessity for cooperation, and collaboration among the organizations in order to achieve common benefits for the polymer industry in Sri Lanka.
Aslam Omar, Director, Phoenix Industries, which is one of the leading plastic product manufacturing company in Sri Lanka, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and made a short but thought provoking speech which emphasized the need for considering the turbulent times as a challenge.
PRISL envisages conducting similar events through the rest of the year in line with its core objective of education and knowledge dissemination in the polymer industry in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s Ayurveda healthcare is garnering the attention of high end tourist market. “Lately, the Japanese travel sector has shown stronger interest in Sri Lanka’s Ayurveda tourism. Last week a Japanese Member of Parliament touring Sri Lanka also has expressed of Japan’s interest in Sri Lanka’s Ayurvedic care for Japanese medical tourists” revealed an upbeat Rishad Bathiudeen (Minister of Industry and Commerce) on 16 May.
